I as a player would love for my Fighter (Knight) to get a signet ring representing him. I cannot find any such item in the compendium or elsewhere, except the "Arcane Signet Ring". So what do you think would be a good price for such an item? I want it to be made of gold but confer no mechanical benefits. Also, I ask on the DM part of the forum since this would be a case where the DM has to make a ruling of some kind. It is already decided it will be a significant cost.

The relevant things I can think of to compare it to:

Arcane Signet Ring: cost 150 gp, but is magic in the sense that the signs only show when the ring is worn by the intended wearer. Hence, this seems way too expensive.

Art object: A ring with a 100 gp gemstone is worth 250 gp, indicating that the ring itself together with the work to put the gemstone in place costs 150 gp. This would be the equivalent of the Arcane Signet Ring, and still seems too high.

Regalia: Costs 100 gp and gives skill bonuses in some situations. I think it might consist of e.g. fine clothing, a signet ring and possibly something more together. I don't think this is a good price in itself, but rather an upper limit.

Fine clothing: Costs 30 gp. Gives no mechanical benefit.

One of the other characters ordered a custom made set of fine clothing that cost a bit more than normal fine clothing. I do not know how much, but lets name the total price for it 30+X gp in case you want to suggest using X to affect the price.

So what would you suggest would be a good price for a signet ring made for my character?

in 3rd edition, a signet ring was specifically listed at 5 gp, and considering most items that are on the equipment list in 4th edition are still within the same ballpark, you could readily go with that. However, the description doesn't list what the ring is made of, and so we can probably assume it isn't made of gold. Assuming 14k gold, we might multiply the price by 10 to get 50 gp.

Also, it's such a small amount of gp in the long run (no more than a single healing potion), I really wouldn't sweat it.

I, as a DM, would just say "Your character has a non-magical signet ring, engraved with the emblem of your family/order/whatever" and count it as a background bonus or something, seeing as how it's not giving you any particular benefit that the character's backstory itself isn't giving you. It's a roleplaying device, essential.

Though, if you absolutely have to pay for it, I'd go with Paladin-s_Pride's idea and have it cost 20~50 gp depending on material. (Then you can shell out the difference at a later date if you want to 'upgrade' to an arcane signet ring.)

Pretty much the only time these sort of minor personal items should actually cost anything, in my opinion, is when proving your character's identity is a Big Deal. (Like with Eberron having identification papers, travel papers, enchanted rings, etc. for this express purpose.)

Agreed. Honestly you should encourage your players to have little extras like this and charging them for it will only lead to the reverse effect. If it doesn't effect balance, let him have something cool.

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If backstory permits it, I don't see a reason you sould have to buy this. It serves no function besides flavor. It's like trying to sell a Knight his coat of arms. He should have that to begin with from day 1.

That being said, 75 gp would suffice for the cost of an art object. Most organizations that provide these types of benefits tend to flip part of the bill themselves, so at 150 for a normal ring, 75 should do well enough.

Since my DM already gave me a Warhorse (comparable to a level 3 magic item) due to the background provided I think that it is fully reasonable that my character has to pay (especially since I did not think about it until a few sessions in when it became relevant to prove he sent a letter). Also, other characters in the party in a similar situations (e.g. really want som custom made fine clothing) also have to pay up.

Since my DM already gave me a Warhorse (comparable to a level 3 magic item) due to the background provided I think that it is fully reasonable that my character has to pay (especially since I did not think about it until a few sessions in when it became relevant to prove he sent a letter). Also, other characters in the party in a similar situations (e.g. really want som custom made fine clothing) also have to pay up.